Sunday, August 23, 2009

How to Break Up With Your Trainer

Being a mid 40-something, I gave in to a slowing metabolism and the effects of gravity and succumbed to the lore of "the Personal Trainer." I am important now; more importantly, I need not exercise alone or even think about what to do at the gym. For about a year, things went well. I grew stronger; I had my consistent twice a week appointments and I even started to have defined biceps; we exchanged conversations and birthday presents. Then, I found out the tragic truth about personal trainers; they are a nomadic group who switch gyms and sometimes leave for a more grown-up profession; e.g., can't go to work wearing gym clothes all day. Sadly, that's what happened to me. As my gym seemed to be leaking personal trainers due to the opening of a hot new gym in the next town, I was left with 5 pre-paid sessions and only 2 trainers to choose from. So, that's how I ended up with L. Things were a little uneasy from the start. First of all, she seemed more interested in talking about herself than about me - a violation of Personal Trainers, 101. Then, my regularly-scheduled weekly dates (I did take this opportunity to change from 2x week to 1x week - we are in a recession after all) became erratic and were designed to fit into her schedule - another violation of Personal Trainer 101. So, it's time to end our relationship. Where to start? We "work" at the same place. Can I go there and work out, averting the hurt glances? Need I change gyms? And, once again, I am left with pre-paid sessions. Any ideas?